Baja aerospace forum showcases potential

At the Aerospace Supplier Forum on Thursday, a group of 32 Tijuana students from low-income families collaborated in the construction and launch of a satellite. The satellite is expected to reach at least 105,000 feet above ground and take photos and videos in real time. It is designed to return to Earth and allow its makers to retrieve the satellite using a tracking system. / photo by Sandra Dibble * U-T San Diego

At the Aerospace Supplier Forum on Thursday, a group of 32 Tijuana students from low-income families collaborated in the construction and launch of a satellite. The satellite is expected to reach at least 105,000 feet above ground and take photos and videos in real time. It is designed to return to Earth and allow its makers to retrieve the satellite using a tracking system. / photo by Sandra Dibble * U-T San Diego

Parker Hannifin, which manufactures seals for automobiles and aircraft at its Tijuana facility, is looking to expand its Mexican supply base, said Jorge David, a supply chain manager for the company. “We can say that 95 percent of our supply base comes from California, and it’s time for us to start looking at Mexican suppliers, if possible.”

Foreign dignitaries attending the event’s opening included San Diego Councilman Kevin Faulconer and Mark Cafferty, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, and Jo Marie Diamond, president & CEO of the East County Economic Development Corporation.

The event also drew dozens of young people — from aerospace engineering students at the Autonomous University of Baja California to elementary schoolchildren who built a satellite under the tutelage Eduardo Guizar, a Mexican engineer and NASA consultant.